Back to the Start
by amberdowny
Summary: Seven-year-old Richie Foley meets a new friend at the playground...


Title: Back to the Start

Author: SP

Rating: T

Pairing: None

Disclaimer: Static Shock belongs to the lovely DC people, not me.

Archive: I'd be honored, just let me know where!

Warnings: Minor spoilers for "Sons of the Fathers". Use of the n-word by Richie's father, and subsequently Richie, with little kid curiosity.

Summary: Seven-year-old Richie Foley meets a new friend at the playground.

A/N: I just had to write about how they became friends, I _had_ to. And a side note: I personally hate "the n-word" and I've smacked my friends the very few times they've used it. But I think--no, I know--that someone like Richie's father would use it without abandon. I mean absolutely no offense.

"Go on and play Richie," Maggie Foley said to her son, who was seven ("and a half," Richie would add shyly whenever his parents told someone his age). Richie ran ahead of her into the park, excited and scared and shy all at once. His family had just moved to Dakota that summer, and Richie hadn't met anyone his own age yet. School would start in just two weeks, and Richie was hoping to start out with at least a familiar face to look for.

He steered away from the swings and slides and jungle gyms, because swings were for girls, the slides were occupied by big kids who looked mean, and he wasn't very coordinated and so decided the jungle gyms were a bad idea. Instead, he headed for the far corner of the playground, which was grassy and sunny. He could sit and play with his Mega-Man action figures there.

He'd only been playing for a few minutes when a shadow fell across his toys. Even without turning around, Richie could tell that the person standing behind him was going to be mean.

His fears were confirmed when a red-headed kid stepped in front of him and said, "Hey shorty, what do you think you're doing?"

"I-I think I'm…I'm just playing," Richie replied, looking up at him.

"You know what _I _think? I think you should give me those toys," the red-head replied.

"But--" Richie didn't get any further, because the other boy had snatched them away and was walking back to where he came from. Richie's lower lip trembled and his eyes filled with tears. He didn't even notice another shadow fall over him, or a kid sit next to him. But he did notice when another voice started speaking.

"Hey," it said. "It's okay. He does that to everybody. Last week he took my new Plant-Man comic book."

"Really?" Richie asked, looking over at him. He was black, Richie noticed. He decided it didn't really matter. He wasn't mean, and that was good.

"Yeah," the new kid replied. "But it was okay. I told my Moms, and she got me a new one."

"That's good."

"Yeah," the kid said again. "Do you like comic books?"

Richie grinned. "I love comic books."

"What's your favorite?"

"Mega-Man. But Plant-Man is good too."

"Plant-Man is my favorite," the kid said. "I've never read Mega-Man."

"What's your name?" Richie asked.

"Virgil Hawkins. What's yours?"

"Richard Foley. But call me Richie."

"Okay, Richie," Virgil said agreeably. "How old are you?"

Richie looked down shyly. Virgil had to be eight or nine. He'd leave as soon as he found out Richie was only seven. And a half. But the half didn't really count. "Seven…and a half," he mumbled.

Virgil grinned. "Hey, me too!"

"Really? Maybe we'll be in the same class when school starts."

"I hope so. Did you go to Dakota Union Elementary last year? I don't remember seeing you in any of the other classes."

Richie shook his head. "No, my family just moved to Dakota this summer."

"Oh," Virgil said, "I'll show you around school when it starts if you want."

"Okay!" Richie replied. This was what he had hoped for. Maybe he and Virgil would even be friends.

Virgil's stomach growled. "Well, I'm getting kinda hungry. I bet it's lunchtime. I better find my family. We're having a picnic here."

"Oh," Richie said. He started to say bye, but Virgil grabbed his arm.

"Do you wanna come eat lunch with us? My parents won't mind. Where's your parents, let's go ask if it's okay!"

Richie grinned. "My mom is on a bench by the entrance."

"Race ya!" Virgil challenged, and the two boys took off running, laughing the whole way. When they arrived next to the bench where Richie's mom sat (Virgil won, but neither of them really cared), they were both flushed and panting.

"Mom," Richie gasped, "this is Virgil. He invited me to have lunch with him at his picnic. Can I?"

Maggie looked up from the book she was reading. "Oh…you're--hello Virgil, nice to meet you. Of course you can go, Richie."

"Thanks Mom!" Richie called, and then they were off and running again. Richie followed Virgil on purpose this time, since Virgil hadn't said where his family was.

Virgil skidded to a stop beside a bright orange blanket with three people sitting on it, a man, a woman, and a girl who looked like she was about twelve or thirteen. "Took you long enough," the girl grumbled, but Virgil wasn't fazed. He just grinned.

"Moms, Pops, this is my new friend Richie Foley. Richie, this is my parents. Oh, and my sister Sharon."

"Hello Richie, come sit down," Virgil's mother said warmly. His father smiled at him. Sharon just rolled her eyes.

Richie sat next to Virgil, hardly daring to believe it. Virgil told his parents that they were friends! He didn't even have to think about it, he just said it. That meant it had to be true. Richie grinned and took the same food as Virgil, a ham sandwich, some chips, an apple, and a cookie. When they were done eating, Virgil grabbed Richie's arm again and half-dragged him to the jungle gym.

"Look!" Virgil showed off by hanging upside-down from his knees.

"Cool," Richie said in awe. Virgil reached up, grabbed the bar with his hands, let go with his knees, and then dropped to the ground to stand beside him.

"It's not that hard. I know you could do it. Want me to teach you?"

"Okay."

Virgil demonstrated how to hang upside down slowly. "See, first you grab the bar, then you hang on and walk up the side of the wooden part, then put your knees over the bar and let go!" He was hanging again. Richie tried it himself, and grinned in triumph when he too hung like a bat from the monkey bars. "See, I said you could do it!" Virgil dropped to the ground again, landing gracefully on his feet. Richie tried to follow, but ended up flat on the ground instead.

"Richie! Are you okay?" Virgil asked worriedly, dropping to his knees.

Richie sat up. "Yeah, I'm okay," he said, somewhat subdued.

"Hey, you still did it," Virgil said, trying to cheer up his friend.

"Yeah, I did," Richie replied, perking up a bit.

Virgil was about to suggest they go slide when he heard his name being called. "Oh man, I have to go home now," he complained. "But I'll see you at school, okay? And maybe we'll be at the park at the same time again. And you have to come to my house to play. I'll show you all my comics. Hey, come with me to my parents, and we can maybe write our phone numbers so we can call each other and maybe your mom can talk to my mom and you can come play before school starts."

Richie had never heard someone talk so much at once before. He laughed. "Okay." He followed Virgil over to where they'd had their picnic.

"Moms, can I give Richie our phone number so we can call each other and maybe Richie can come play before school starts?"

Virgil's mom smiled. "Of course. Here, I'll write down our number for you, Richie and you can give me yours to write for Virgil."

It was only then that Richie realized with dismay that he didn't know his new phone number. "I don't know mine. We just moved here this summer."

"That's okay," Virgil said, "you just have to call me first."

"Okay," Richie agreed, taking the napkin with Virgil's number on it.

"See you later Richie!" Virgil called.

"See you," Richie echoed, and waved as the Hawkins family left. Then he made his way back to where his mom was. Halfway there, he saw something on the ground and bent to pick it up. It was his Mega-Man action figure, and next to it was his other figure, of Mega-Man's partner (not sidekick). The partner was missing his arm, but that was okay. At least he had them back. He grinned and ran the rest of the way to his mom.

"Ready to go home?" Maggie asked when Richie reached her.

"Uh-huh," Richie replied happily.

---

At dinner that night, Richie was still in a good mood. He babbled about his new friend so much that finally his father, Sean, snapped at him to be quiet; he was giving him a headache. Richie apologized and ate quietly. Sean mumbled something about how it was nice that Richie had made a friend, and then started complaining to his wife.

"There are so many niggers in this city. I have to work with three of them--three of them!--every day, it's horrible. They're ruining everything, and I have to deal with them on a daily basis."

Richie wondered what a nigger was, but decided not to ask right now. He finished his dinner, and then asked to be excused. In his room, he wondered if Virgil knew what one was. Virgil seemed to know a lot. He grinned to himself again. He had a friend!

His mother came into his room then. "Richie, you have to promise me something."

"What?" Richie asked.

"Promise me you won't tell your father that Virgil is black."

"Why not?"

"Because your father doesn't really…he doesn't really…well, he doesn't like black people. That's what he was talking about at dinner. That word he used, it's…it's a…not a nice word for a black person. You must never, ever use it, okay?"

"Okay," Richie replied.

"And do you promise not to tell your father about Virgil?"

"I promise…Mom? Can I call Virgil? He gave me his phone number, and I have to call him and give him ours."

"Okay."

Richie went to the hallway phone and dialed the number on the napkin. When someone answered, he said politely, "May I speak to Virgil, please?" just as he'd been taught. When Virgil came on, Richie grinned and said excitedly, "Hi Virgil, it's Richie."

"Hi Richie! Do you know your phone number now?"

"Yeah, and guess what else? I found my Mega-Man toys!"

"That's great Richie!"

"Yeah, it is," Richie replied. He had a feeling that Virgil was going to be his friend for a long time.


End file.
